Easy cream cheese chicken is just a few basic ingredients and simple to make, with a deliciously creamy sauce that coats every piece. Ready in less than 30 minutes!
This post was sponsored by Myxx. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.
I just have to take a quick minute to say a very happy birthday to my now 6-year-old son, whose birthday is today. 🎉
He's my baby who's not at all a baby these days. But he's still my sweet, happy, super smart, handsome blonde boy that I could just eat right up. ❤️
But let's talk food, a subject he's very interested in as well these days. #growinghungryboy 😉
So you know I’m all about the easy chicken dinners right?
Well this is a super simple, deliciously creamy chicken recipe I’ve been making for a couple of years now and just had to share with you!
Easy cream cheese chicken has tender strips of chicken that are cooked and coated in a yummy cream cheese mixture, along with some onions and mushrooms.
Everything gets sprinkled with mozzarella cheese, which melts down over the chicken and veggies at the end.
It’s so scrumptious and it’s perfect for back-to-school season when I need something that’s quick but comforting. Something easy but that the whole family will happily sit down to at night.
(And even though this is really easy and basic, I’ve even made it for company. My mother-in-law said I must give her the recipe!)
This recipe is ready in about 25 minutes, which I love, no matter what night of the week it is.
(We always talk about busy weeknights, but my weekends aren’t a time I particularly want to slave away in the kitchen on an involved meal either. Anyone else?)
And I love that this has no heavy cream, which I never seem to have.
In fact, it’s only got 7 main ingredients! 🙌
That luxuriously creamy sauce that coats the chicken and mushrooms is just cream cheese and some chicken broth. It melts down with all the flavors from the sautéed onions and mushrooms and the seared bits from the chicken and makes such a delicious sauce.
(I’ve used that trick before with chicken breast with jalapeño cheese sauce and healthy creamy Italian chicken skillet, among others.)
And because of that sauce, you’re definitely going to want to serve this over some fluffy steamed rice.
If you know me, you know I go for the whole grains. But it can take 30-35 minutes to make brown rice. Not exactly ideal if everything else can be ready well before that.
So today I wanted to share with you a new grocery store find: VeeTee rice. It cooks in the microwave, in its own container, in just 2 minutes. Yup, 2 minutes. It gets perfectly fluffy and hot and ready to serve.
You can find VeeTee online but also at Harris Teeter (my local store) and Walmart Grocery. It's a serious time saver!
My other favorite time-saving trick: shop your recipes online.
I’ve gotten to know the folks over at Myxx and I’m in love with their story and their service.
Their service allows recipes to be shop-able. That means when you go down to the recipe card below, you can click their button and add the ingredients you need to your cart.
What cart? Ah, that’s the beauty. You get to choose which local grocery store you shop at (they integrate with tons of stores).
AND you can choose to just print your list (which is organized by your local store’s layout) to take to the store to do the shopping yourself. Or you can choose curbside pick-up if your local store offers that feature. Or you can pick from delivery options, again, depending on what your local selected store has available.
OK, now let’s get back to this delicious saucy chicken! 😍 (You can also check out my Google web story for this cream cheese chicken recipe.) I've also got this slow cooker cream cheese chicken if you want to try making it that way.
Now, I’ve got some notes, tips and substitutions coming up below on how to make cream cheese chicken. Just tryin’ to be helpful.
(And y’all know I like to help you make a recipe your very own!)
If you want to jump on down to the recipe, simply scroll through the rest of the text. The recipe card is near the bottom of the page, above the comments section.
Recipe Notes:
- You can use more than the 1 ½ lbs. of chicken in this recipe, but you’ll want to increase the cream cheese and chicken broth to make extra sauce. The sauce is SOOO good!
- I love the mushrooms in with this recipe but you could skip them if you don’t have any on hand - or don’t like them. I’ve made this without mushrooms before and it was still delicious.
- The recipe calls for the ⅓-less fat cream cheese and it’s deliciously creamy. Go for the real deal if you prefer, but I don’t recommend using fat free cream cheese.
- If you don’t have any chicken broth, you could substitute vegetable broth or just use water.
- I love the melty mozzarella on top but you could also try this served with grated Parmesan if you prefer.
- The parsley is good as a garnish but adds a nice herby freshness too. Feel free to skip it or to use some dried herbs as a seasoning on the chicken if you’d like.
As is, this recipe is gluten-free, low carb and keto-friendly. 👍
Also, a quick word about the chicken in this recipe.
I cut my boneless, skinless chicken breasts into long strips.
That helps ensure more even cooking and also helps stretch the chicken to feed more people. It also cooks more quickly. Win, win, win! 🙌
It’s one of my favorite tricks. (See my easy balsamic chicken and salsa chicken for other quick and easy chicken recipes that use this same shortcut.)
If you’d prefer to use full chicken breasts that haven’t been sliced, just increase the cooking time to account for the increased thickness.
You could also dice up the chicken breasts into 1-inch cubes if you’d rather have smaller pieces. Just be sure to turn them more as they sear and don’t overcook them.
And since options make me happy, feel free to use boneless, skinless chicken thighs for this recipe too. They’ll just need some additional cook time to get cooked all the way through.
Want to add a veggie? Me too!
What to serve with cream cheese chicken:
- We love this with some steamed broccoli or some warmed peas. Both take no time at all to make so it’s perfect for keeping this as a quick meal.
- I’ve even thought about increasing the sauce and stirring in some cooked broccoli or peas to this recipe, but I haven’t tried that yet. Yet.
- This cream cheese chicken would also be great with a mix of sautéed or roasted veggies. (These Italian roasted mixed vegetables look great!)
- And finally, we do love it best with steamed rice, but you could serve this chicken over quinoa, polenta or mashed potatoes too.
Lastly, I wanted to share some make-ahead and storage tips on this recipe.
You can chop your veggies and slice your chicken ahead of time, but otherwise, I recommend cooking this when you plan to eat it that night. (With that prep, it’ll only take about 15-20 minutes for it to cook.)
Storage and reheating tips for cream cheese chicken:
- Place any leftovers, once cooled, in a covered container in the fridge for up to 4-5 days.
- You can reheat the chicken in the microwave.
- I recommend slicing the cooked chicken strips into smaller pieces - like 1-inch cubes or so - to help it reheat more evenly.
- Pop it in the microwave on a plate or in a bowl for 1-2 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it’s warmed through. (It may take longer if you are reheating a large amount. Stir and add 30 seconds as needed.)
- You can also try reheating this chicken with cream cheese in a skillet on the stove. You may want to add some extra splashes of chicken broth to help loosen it up and create a sauce again so it doesn’t dry out or thicken up too much.
- I don’t recommend freezing the leftovers of this chicken.
You can serve it again over rice with a veggie on the side or make a grain bowl or make a cheesy chicken wrap with the leftovers. You can even use this chicken for enchiladas to make a completely different meal another night.
So there you go, another family favorite from our table to yours!
I hope you give this a try for a busy weeknight dinner that’s ready in less than 30 minutes.
Enjoy!
XO,
Kathryn
P.S. You can browse all of my 30-minute chicken recipes for more cooking inspiration!
Easy Cream Cheese Chicken
Easy cream cheese chicken is just a few simple ingredients and simple to make, with a deliciously creamy sauce that coats every piece. Ready in less than 30 minutes!
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 8 oz. white button mushrooms, sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 ½ lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut in strips
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 4 oz. regular or reduced-fat plain cream cheese
- ¼ cup low-sodium chicken broth
- ¼ to ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
For serving:
- Steamed brown or white rice
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (optional)
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add oil.
- Add onions and mushrooms and sauté for 4-5 minutes. Add garlic and sauté for another 30 seconds.
- Meanwhile, slice the chicken into strips and season with the salt and pepper.
- Increase the heat to medium high, then add the seasoned chicken strips to the pan. Sear for 6-8 minutes, turning once, until the chicken strips are golden brown.
- Add the cream cheese and chicken broth and stir until the cream cheese is melted and well incorporated. Sprinkle the mozzarella over the entire pan, then cover, reduce heat and cook another 2-3 minutes, our until chicken is cooked through. (It should reach 165 if you are using a meat thermometer.) Season to taste with extra salt and pepper.
- Serve the chicken and mushrooms over steamed rice, with parsley if desired.
Notes
Mushrooms: I love the mushrooms in with this recipe but you could skip them if you don’t have any on hand - or don’t like them. I’ve made this without mushrooms before and it was still delicious.
Cream cheese: I use the ⅓-less fat cream cheese and it’s deliciously creamy. Go for the real deal if you prefer, but I don’t recommend using fat free cream cheese.
Broth: If you don’t have any chicken broth, you could substitute vegetable broth or just use water.
Cheese: I love the melty mozzarella on top but you could also try this served with grated Parmesan if you prefer.
Herbs: The parsley is good as a garnish but adds a nice herby freshness too. Feel free to skip it or to use some dried herbs as a seasoning on the chicken if you’d like.
Serving: This is great over steamed brown or white rice, but you could also use quinoa, polenta or mashed potatoes.
Steamed broccoli, peas and roasted veggies are all great vegetable sides with this dish.
Leftovers: This keeps in the fridge for 4-5 days. Reheat leftovers in the microwave (it helps to slice up the chicken into bite size pieces first so they reheat evenly).
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 436Total Fat: 19gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 175mgSodium: 476mgCarbohydrates: 7gFiber: 2gSugar: 3gProtein: 57g
Long
Fantastic site. Your love of food shines through. I will try some of your recipes as soon as. Thanks!
Stacy
I highly recommend searing your chicken first, setting aside, and then sautéing the onions/garlic with chicken set aside.
Kathryn Doherty
That's a great way to do it, too, Stacy! Thanks for sharing!
Sylvia
I try this and it was great!! So easy
to make. Thank you for sharing. I would like to say that some people are so mean. You said you could skip to the directions. I read it and you had some great suggestions. Thank you again!
Kathryn Doherty
I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed it Sylvia! Thank you for sharing! Also, thank you for your kind words. 😊
mik
Do you use an instant pot? I think you could make the rice and chicken all together at one time. I will try but you are the expert
Kathryn Doherty
I do and I love my IP! I haven't tried this recipe in it along with rice (and we eat only brown rice, which takes longer and might result in overcooked chicken), but would love to hear if you give it a try! 😊
Louise
Loved this recipe! I'm adding it to my weeknight rotation... I made a couple tweaks I thought I'd share though, one being because I don't care for mushrooms I subbed a green veggie mix (peas, green beans, broccoli) and it worked great! And I used onion and chive cream cheese which added a lot of flavor. This is a great base recipe that I feel like you could do a lot of simple swaps to, to keep it interesting. Thank you!
Kathryn Doherty
I'm so happy to hear you loved this Louise! And thank you for sharing your subs! (I'm now dying to try it with that flavored cream cheese. Yum!) I'm all about making a recipe your own and totally agree that this one is really versatile and adaptable! 😊
Rosy
I am usually too lazy to read long posts or even to watch long videos but I actually read the whole post. Will try this recipe but will need to replace other ingredients.. will use other type of mushroom and chicken cuts and cream cheese powder mix.. I hope it will work lol.
Kathryn Doherty
It's definitely fine to swap out the mushrooms and type of chicken you use. (Just be sure you cook the chicken through all of the way as the time may vary.) I'm not sure what cream cheese powder is, so I don't know how that might affect the flavor and texture here, but good luck!
Leighanne
Hey, this turned out great! I didn't have mozzarella but, I did have Munster. This was waaaaaaay good. I can totally see myself throwing this chicken into other recipes as stated in the blog portion. The FLAVOR is completely delicious on its own without being overwhelming in ANY way. Served it over basmati rice I fried with dried parsley and diced onion. All I can say is chefs kiss.
Kathryn Doherty
Yay! I'm so happy to hear you loved this Leighanne! Thanks so much for sharing! 😊
James Welsh
Made mine with a cheese sauce as didn't have broth.
Fried up some smoked bacon with onions etc.
Sprinkled with cheese.
Was delicious and I'm no cook..
Only took me 2.4 seconds to scroll to recipe 📜
Kathryn Doherty
I'm so glad you enjoyed this James! Love the bacon addition - yum! And so happy to know that I'm not the only one out there who knows how to scroll SUPER fast. 😂
Paula
For a chicken enchilada dish, chicken tacos or chicken fajitas, I would add the taco or fajita seasoning to the chicken and sauce. You could add bacon and sour cream to the original to make it more saucy and flavorful. Great recipe!!! Patient lady! Thank you!
Kathryn Doherty
Oh those do sound like a fun twist on this dish for a creamy style taco/fajita meal! Thanks so much for sharing!
Donis Riedy
I forgot, I cut the chicken into pieces which gave the chicken a lot of flavor😊
tim
I kind of felt I had to write something for the sake of recipe searchers everywhere. Please write the most important details such as ingredients, amounts on the top of the page. As well try to separate between the opinions you have on the recipe from the steps of the recipe. Scrolling over this mess of an article to find the actually steps for cooking was a nightmare.
Kathryn Doherty
I'm sorry it was burdensome for you to find the recipe, Tim. Nearly all personal blogs, like this one, are set up this way, format-wise. Some major magazines and food sites, like Food Network for instance, have just the recipes at the top and no commentary - including none of the helpful tips, substitutions and information I like to give along with my recipes to answer readers' questions - if you'd like to stick to those.
Tonia
Awesome recipe. I added a good squeeze of spicy brown mustard and a dash of cayenne to give it some texas spice. Yummy
Kathryn Doherty
I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed it Tonia! And those sound like awesome additions - thanks for sharing! 😊
Jay
Please stop wasting our time with these blogs. I don't care about your son's birthday, I just want to eat my dinner
Kathryn Doherty
Personal blogs are probably not where you want to look for recipes then. Stick to cookbooks and magazines.
Kathryn Everitt
So rude! If you were feeling that sick of reading it, I'm surprised you bothered using the additional energy to leave a comment.
This post is extremely easy to skip through, to reach the delicious recipe. That is what I did and I had absolutely no idea a birthday had been mentioned, until I read your unnecessary remark.
Thank you, Kathryn, for all your amazing recipes.
Kathryn Doherty
Thank you for the support, Kathryn! I really appreciate it. 😊 And I'm so happy to hear you love this recipe!
raju
Thanks For Sharing this amazing recipe. My family loved it. I will be sharing this recipe with my friends. Hope the will like it.
Kathryn Doherty
I'm so happy you enjoyed it!
Pat
I am newly retired and enjoying finding new recipes. I love your blog, and even though I now have time, it is your ideas that I have time to try! Tonight cheesy chicken .......delish!
Kathryn Doherty
Congratulations on your retirement! I'm so happy you found me and found some recipes you enjoy! 😊
Megan
I've made it a few times now and liked it. The last time I added onion soup mix and it just took it to another level! I double the sauce for noodles too!
Kathryn Doherty
I'm so glad to hear you liked it Megan! And thanks for sharing about the onion soup mix - I'll have to try it that way! 😊
Liz Streithorst
I was looking for an easy recipe with stuff I have on hand for tomorrow and thanks to you and my friend Google I found it. I can see the versatility of it. Enjoyed the comments as well. Using it for tacos sounds like a great Idea.
Liz Streithorst
I made it. I used the leftovers from a roast chicken. I used mostly dark meat. Since the meat was cooked it only needed a bit or warming up as the sauce blended. I used shallots rather than onion because the last onion went to the stock pot with the chicken carcass.
Kathryn Doherty
I hope you enjoyed it Liz! 😊
Valerie
I appreciate all the helpful ideas and hints! Thanks for sharing them. I’m going to make this tonight…. Wish me luck!!!
Kathryn Doherty
I hope you enjoy it Valerie! 😊
Alisha
Loved this! Added fresh baby spinach to this and doubled the cream cheese and broth (I’m a sauce person)! It’s amazing! Thank you for the recipe!
Kathryn Doherty
I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed it! Love that spinach addition and yay for extra sauce! Sounds great! Thanks so much for sharing!
Rochelle
I tried this last December and it was a hit with my family. This dish is officially part of my family's menu list. Thank you 🙂
Kathryn Doherty
Oh that's so wonderful to hear! Thank you for sharing! 😊
Rahul
I just made this recipe today, and it was so good. Its taste was very good. Thank you for sharing with us.
Kathryn Doherty
I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
Ssuper
I’m not very domesticated and need incredible motivation to actually cook a dish. By default I tend to cook spicy food but I loved that you encouraged the micro rice etc. cooked this evening and partner said it was one of the most nicest meals I’ve cooked. I couldn’t get the chicken to brown for some reason but that might have been because of my steel pot. Regardless it tasted great and was very filling.
I do need to buy a metric converter because I had to work out what everything was in grams 😉
Kathryn Doherty
Oh I'm so happy to hear you loved this dish! Thank you for sharing! 😊
Felicity
I added a tablespoon of whole grain mustard and served with some left over macaroni noodles. Yum yum
Kathryn Doherty
Yum! Love the mustard addition, Felicity! So happy to hear you enjoyed it, thanks so much for sharing!
Kathryn
The whole family loved this recipe. I used boneless skinless chicken thighs, left whole. Seasoned chicken with Kickin’ Chicken to add some heat. Cooked rice in chicken broth with minced garlic and onions. Everyone requested this again for a meal next week.
Kathryn Doherty
I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed it! And those tweaks sound delicious. Thanks so much for sharing! 😊